Jaya toes BJP line on Sethusamudram

AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa on Thursday tailored her stand on the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) to suit that of the BJP, insisting that the project be implemented without demolishing the Ram Sethu. Until now, Jayalalithaa had stoutly opposed the project on the grounds that it would affect the livelihood of fishermen as well as destroy the rich marine biodiversity in the Palk Bay area.
Jayalalithaa's sudden volte face and the obvious strains within the UNPA of which she is one of the chief architects, has political circles abuzz that she might be moving closer to the BJP. While the AIADMK and BJP struck up an alliance for the 2004 Lok Sabha election, the two parties faced a total rout with the DMK-led combine winning all the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Pondicherry seat.

In a statement, Jayalalithaa said the Sethusamudram Project be implemented without demolishing the Ram Sethu. She pointed out that in the past, several committees and experts had given four or five alternative schemes to implement the project without demolishing the bridge. "The Centre should explore the possibility of one of the alternative schemes and implement the project without damaging the Ram Sethu," she said.

Relations have been somewhat strained between the AIADMK and the BJP, with Jayalalithaa ignoring overtures from the latter during the May 2006 Assembly election. The AIADMK-led alliance included the MDMK and some smaller parties. But, the BJP contested on its own and failed to win even a single Assembly seat. While the BJP's prospects in Tamil Nadu are rather poor, Jayalalithaa might be forced to align with the party for the next Lok Sabha election if only to end her political isolation.

While Jayalalithaa played a key role in forming the Third Front in June, disagreements with major constituent partners saw her issuing a stinging statement on Sunday in which she wondered whether the AIADMK was still part of the UNPA and whether it continued to exist as one entity.

People all over the country were opposed to the demolition of the bridge, she said.

"What is the need to demolish the Ram Sethu when the project can be implemented without destroying it?" she asked.